Team manager Willie Watson makes one change from last weekend’s line-up that beat Borders by 19 shots with Stuart Campbell of Tanfield introduced in place of Craigentinny star Willie McDonald. Campbell comes in to play second to Darren Hush and that move pushes former team captain Robert Donaldson of Parkside up to third in a rink that is completed by Josh Spalding at lead. Hush is joined in the strong going E&L by fellow spearhead figures Robert Marshall, Mal Higgenbotham, Paul O’Donnell, Paul Veitch, and Jamie Gracie as the six skips. West Fife have won their last two games beating Fife County at home and, impressively, Midlothian away so current form suggests they represent danger to an E&L team yet to fire on all cylinders.

East Lothian sit joint top of the East section with E&L and ‘the garden county’ are favourites to turn in a winning performance against Fife County at West Barns although the visitors have winning form at home to Midlothian and West Lothian. Team manager Ian Bell brings back stalwart figure Brian Young in place of Billy Cormack in a team headed up by skips, Craig Valentine, Billy Mellors, Derek Oliver, Scott Kennedy, John McCrorie, and Bell himself.

West Lothian have home advantage over Stirling County East at Linlithgow where last seasons national finalists will be fighting for section survival having lost at home to Borders and away to Fife County. For one reason or another team manager Jimmy Mallon brings in Andrew Dunnett and brothers Nathan and Conner McKendrick as replacements for Calum Logan, John Black, and Stuart Johnston.

Midlothian have been unable to announce a team due to several call-offs so it is a fingers crossed situation for team manager Drew Pearson on a really tough assignment against Borders at Berwick.

East Lothian champions West Barns found the absence of star figures Billy Mellors and Scott Kennedy too big a handicap in their quarterfinal visit to their Lanarkshire counterparts, Burnbank of Hamilton, in The Co-operative Funeralcare sponsored Inter County Top Ten tournament. Mellors and Kennedy forced to pull out of Scotland’s top club competition in favour of an International Trial match organised for the same day by Bowls Scotland despite the 34-year history of the Top Ten.

West Barns – last years semi finalists – produced a good win in the Pairs with Kevin Thomson and Gary Landells beating Gerry Sullivan and Jim McCann, 12-10 in the Pairs. But Alister Kennedy suffered a 21-16 defeat in the Singles and further setbacks saw the Triples lose 18-9, and The Fours, 19-5.

Recent Posts

This website is dedicated to the memory of its originator, Stewart Peacock. Stewart passed away in March 2005. Over the years Stewart built this website into one of bowling's most popular, informative and up to date sources of information.